Free Republic

When a US delegate once confronted a Chinese diplomat about Beijing's uncompromising support for Pakistan, the Chinese reportedly responded with a heavily-loaded sarcastic remark: "Pakistan is our Israel". But judging by China's unrelenting support for some of its allies, including North Korea, Burma, Zimbabwe and Sudan, its protective arm around these countries is no different from the US and Western political embrace of Israel - right or wrong. ..."China is trying to reassert its political clout at the United Nations as a counterweight to its defensive stand on currency and trade issues." The New York Times newspaper said on Tuesday...

S. Korea's ex-air force chiefs slam Boeing choice in fighter deal SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's 15 former air force chiefs have signed a petition opposing the selection of Boeing Co's F-15 Silent Eagle for the country's 8.3 trillion won ($7.64 billion) fighter jet program, one former chief said on Thursday, saying the plane lacked the cutting-edge stealth capabilities of more modern fighters. The petition comes after Boeing's F-15SE became the only bid eligible to be chosen in South Korea's biggest-ever arms procurement program, ahead of Lockheed Martin's costlier F-35 stealth fighter and the Eurofighter consortium's Typhoon. Lockheed and the...

(Reuters) - South Korea faces possible power blackouts this winter and next summer, as cable safety issues and protests that are holding up completion of an ultra-high-voltage power line threaten to keep more nuclear reactors offline. Asia's fourth-largest economy generates a third of its electricity using nuclear power, primarily to replace oil and gas, for which South Korea relies almost entirely on imports. But six of its 23 reactors are offline, including three shut since May to replace cables supplied with forged safety certificates. In addition, another reactor will soon be closed to check the welding on a steam generator....

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea ranked 117th in terms economic growth last year, data showed Wednesday, apparently as the protracted slump in the global economy dealt a harsh blow to the export-reliant country. South Korea's real gross domestic product (GDP) grew 2 percent in 2012, with its ranking falling 60 notches from two years earlier, according to the World Fact Book released by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Asia's fourth-largest economy grew 6.3 percent to rank 57th among 189 countries in 2010, but it slowed to reach 3.6 percent in 2011 to rank 102nd. South Korea's economic-growth ranking...

Seven out of 10 children who were abused by their parents nonetheless return to their care, according to a study, and 10 percent end up being abused again. Lee Yeo-jin, a researcher with the National Assembly Research Service, analyzed data compiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and found that 83.1 percent of the 6,058 cases of child abuse in 2011 were committed by the child's parents, and 86.6 percent occurred at home. But 72.6 percent of the children who were abused by their parents had to stay at their homes, even though they often needed therapy and medical...

Korea recorded 40,000 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) infections last year, a government report showed Sunday, hinting the country still needs more attention on the disease usually found in developing countries. According to a report released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a total of 49,532 people were reported as TB patients in 2012. Among them, 39,545 were cases of new infections. The number of male patients was some 30 percent higher than that of female patients. By age, 16,033 of the new TB patients were between 20 to 40 years, accounting for 40.5 percent of the entire new...

Credit card spending abroad hit an all-time high in the second quarter, before even the summer holidays took huge numbers of Koreans abroad. According to the Bank of Korea on Friday, credit card bills from overseas totaled US$2.53 billion in April-June, up 10.9 percent on-year. The previous quarterly record was $2.52 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012. "The total amount of money outbound travelers spent overseas fell because their numbers dropped, but credit card spending rose because that is becoming the preferred option." The total amount Korean travelers spent overseas in the second quarter was $4.96 billion, down slightly...

(Reuters) - South Korea's manufacturing sector activity contracted for the third consecutive month in August albeit at a slower pace than July, a private survey showed on Monday, showing that growth momentum in Asia's fourth-largest economy remains elusive. The HSBC/Markit purchasing managers' index (PMI) on South Korea's manufacturing sector edged up to a seasonally adjusted 47.5 in August from a 10-month low of 47.2 in July, Markit Economics said in a statement. The index has remained below the 50-point mark separating expansion from contraction in manufacturing activity since June. The sub-index on new export orders fell to a seasonally adjusted...

The transcript of a pro-North lawmaker and his aides allegedly discussing treason is sending a shock wave throughout the nation. Recorded on May 13 and made public by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Friday, the transcript includes a plot to overthrow the government by attacking major infrastructure here in the event of an inter-Korean war. The people who appear in the transcript include Rep. Lee Seok-ki and other members of the minor opposition Unified Progressive Party (UPP), infamous for taking a pro-North Korea stance. They are also suspected of being part of a bigger organization that has connections with the...

(Reuters) - South Korea has launched a dispute at the World Trade Organization to complain about U.S. punitive tariffs on South Korean washing machines, the WTO said on Thursday. South Korea's complaint focuses on the way the United States measures "dumping" of imported goods, or selling at unfairly low prices. The United States has agreed to change its calculation methodology after a series of similar complaints from other trading partners.

Azerbaijan intends to purchase $3 billion modern weapons and military vehicles from South Korea Baku. Viktoria Dementyeva-APA. Azerbaijan intends to purchase modern weapons from South Korea, said a source in the South Korean parliament, APA reports quoting Hankook Ilbo publication. According to the source, the intention to purchase modern military vehicles was expressed during the visit of South Korean parliamentary delegation to Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani side has expressed wish to purchase from South Korea two submarine boats, mine vessel, transport ship, T-50 training planes, K-9 self-propelled artillery vehicle, drones worth $3 billion. These proposals have been given to the government...

K-pop presentation is still in a status where they are being tried out, like a pilot program, to see if this works with the market. On the Fourth of July near a pier in San Francisco, many people gathered to enjoy the crisp weather by the sea or find a good place to see the fireworks. To entertain them, street performers brought their gigs to the bay, with one of them dancing to Psy’s globally familiar tune, “Gangnam Style.” After the record-setting song, which became the first video to surpass 1 billion views on YouTube, celebrated its first birthday on...

Azerbaijan has reportedly expressed an interest in buying $3 billion worth of weaponry from South Korea, including several items for its nascent navy. That's according to a Korean newspaper report citing South Korean lawmakers and passed on by Azerbaijan news agency APA. Azerbaijan's shopping list reportedly includes two submarine boats, naval destroyers, transport ships, T-50 training planes, attack helicopters, K-9 self-propelled artillery vehicle, drones, and fire control systems. The Azerbaijanis reportedly made clear their intentions during a visit of South Korean parliamentarians to Baku in May. But the Korean story points out two reservations that Seoul has about such a...

The family of an American man stranded in a South Korean hospital is asking for donations to bring him home. Sean Jones, a young teacher from Oklahoma City, has been hospitalized since May with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes swelling in the brain. Jones' family wants him transferred to an American hospital for continued treatment, but Yonsei University Severance Hospital in Seoul reportedly refuses to release him until his bill of nearly $40,000 is paid. Friends and family have set up a Facebook page and a Giveforward.com account to raise money for medical costs. So far...

Senator John McCain, who ran for the U.S. presidency in 2008, said six-party talks are not likely with Pyongyang until “the North Korean regime shows meaningful steps towards denuclearization.” He said until denuclearization of the North was accomplished, “there should be no relaxation of pressure and no resumption of six-party negotiations.” President Park Geun-hye met with three U.S. lawmakers yesterday to exchange views on North Korean policy as relations between Seoul and Pyongyang begin to thaw. Park met with Arizona’s McCain, a Republican, and Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat representing Rhode Island, at the Blue House. Separately, Park also met with...

Harry S. Dent, author of “The Great Crash Ahead,” emphasizes Asian economies should be more aware of declining demographic trends triggered by a retirement wave of the baby boomers and people’s consumption than changes in monetary policies like the U.S. exit strategy of its quantitative easing (QE). In a telephone interview with the JoongAng Sunday on Friday, Dent said it is the right time to end the U.S. QE and warns the Japanese government of possible failure of Abenomics if the country relies on the measure for too long. The analyst is famous for his early forecasts on the Japanese...

Korean children and adolescents are the least satisfied with their lives in the OECD, despite increasing material comfort. Korea ranked fourth among OECD member countries in terms of youngsters' material happiness but last in terms of subjective happiness, according to research published Friday by the Social Development Institute at Yonsei University with the support of the Korea Pang Jong-hwan Foundation. This is fourth consecutive year Korea ranked bottom in the institute's annual happiness index. The material happiness index rankings of Austria and Spain are more or less on a par with their subjective happiness index rankings, but among Korean youngsters...

A growing number of educated young people are learning practical skills at vocational training centers, because they are often more useful than college diplomas for landing a job in an increasingly competitive environment. Others learn new skills even after they have found work because they believe that will ensure more stable employment. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday said 3,100 people completed various vocational training programs last year, and a record 52 percent of them were college graduates or college dropouts. The KCCI runs vocational training centers in Busan, Incheon, Gwangju, and Gyeonggi, Gangwon, North and South...

The South Jeolla Provincial Police Agency recently formed a team to investigate local crime syndicates working on - believe it or not - university campuses. The team was formed in response to tips to police that many student bodies of local colleges are now headed by crime syndicate members enrolled as students. Earlier this year, 18 members of student councils at two different two-year colleges in the coastal city of Suncheon were charged with embezzling about 400 million won ($358,000) of school money. The 18 suspects, who were elected by their fellow students, were in fact dispatched by local crime...

Mr. Lee, at 31, has hit the typical marriage age for a Korean man, especially for a conglomerate employee like himself. But Lee doesn’t have any intention of tying the knot. He’s happy as he is living with his pet dog named Camus. “My life is preoccupied with work,” Lee says, “and I just feel more comfortable when I’m with my dog. For the time being, I’m satisfied and don’t want to get married.” Lee is one of an emerging type known as “herbivore men,” which was first coined in Japan, referring to guys who are kind of interested in...